I sit on the jet, trying to focus on the file in front of me. I've already read it, but I'm trying to make sure I know every detail before we arrive in Florida. After I realize I've not read a single thing for the past five minutes, I sigh and lean back in my seat.
My eyes wander until they land on Emily. I clench my jaw and blink back the tears that start to form. I hope I made the right decision by ending things. I really fucking love her, but I just can't do this right now. I need to keep being the perfect girl I've always been.
Emily must feel my eyes on her because she looks up at me before I have a chance to avert my gaze. Pain is evident in her eyes, and I watch as it clouds the determination that was there seconds ago. One thing I admire about Em is her ability to lock down her emotions and focus on a case. I need to get better about that...
No, what I need to get better about is pushing away my feelings for my coworker. Nothing good can come out of that, right? Okay, seriously, JJ, focus. We need to find this little girl.
I return my attention to the file in front of me, trying to see if there's anything I missed before. This poor baby. I can't even imagine what she's going through right now. I only hope we aren't too late.
"Alright team, listen up," Hotch's voice carries easily through the jet, and we all turn towards our unit chief. "We know the statistics about abducted children, so I know I don't need to remind you how urgent this case is."
"We need to work quickly, and we don't have time for mistakes. This unsub needs to be behind bars," Gideon adds.
"Morgan, you and Prentiss go to the latest abduction site. I doubt you'll find much there, but we need to see it anyway. Reid and Gideon, meet with the head of Disney's security and learn what you can about the first four abductions. JJ, set up a press conference for this afternoon. I'll talk to Marilyn's family and see if they remember anything leading up to her disappearance. We land in 30, so everyone try to rest for a few minutes. It's going to be a long day," Hotch closes the file in front of him and leans back in his seat before turning to look out the jet window.
...
Once we arrive, I head straight to the security office and begin making the phone calls necessary to put together a press conference. Once Hotch finishes talking with Marilyn's parents, I'm going to ask them to be a part of the conference.
I can't even begin to imagine what these poor parents must be going through. They're supposed to be on vacation, having a wonderful time. Unfortunately, bad people exist everywhere, including in the most magical place on earth.
I've been on the phone for the better part of an hour when Hotch finally finishes speaking to the parents.
"Alright, I think we may have gotten something," Hotch says, frowning slightly.
"What is it?" I ask, mentally preparing to add something new to the press conference we're having in 45 minutes.
"The Jones family has been here for three days so far, and I asked them if anything strange had happened since they arrived. At first they couldn't think of anything, but then Mrs. Jones remembered a man talking to them their first night. They had gone to Disney Springs to shop when a man approached them. He spoke only to Marilyn, and he offered to buy her a stuffed Minnie Mouse she had been looking at," Hotch shakes his head slightly. "Her mother felt weird about it and took Marilyn and left the store. She said she thinks she saw him again yesterday when they were in Epcot."
"So she was able to recognize him a second time?" I ask, raising my eyebrows.
"Yes, apparently he has a very distinct scar on the right side of his chin," Hotch replies, glancing down at the notepad in his hand.
"That is really odd," I nod as I run my hands through my hair.
"What makes it even more suspicious is that the parents of Jackson Lewis, the second child that was abducted, mentioned seeing a man fitting the same description the morning their son went missing,"
"Alright, do I mention this guy in the press conference?"
"Yes, but I wouldn't mention that he's the suspect. If there's any chance Marilyn is alive, I think too much pressure will make him end things much sooner."
"Alright. I'm going to go brief the parents and coach them as much as I can over the next 40 minutes or so. Keep me updated if you find out anything else," I tell Hotch as I turn away and walk toward the small room where the Jones family is waiting for me.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself before facing the distraught parents. I finally twist the doorknob and walk into the room. "Mr. Jones, Mrs. Jones, I'm Jennifer Jareau with the BAU," I introduce myself as I shake each of their hands. "I can't even imagine what you're going through right now, but I'm here to do everything I can to bring Marilyn home," I continue, sitting down across from them.
"I still can't believe this happened to us. This happens to other people, people on tv shows, not my family," Mr. Jones says, wiping a tear from his cheek. His wife reaches over and squeezes his hand softly before brushing a strand of his dark brown hair from his forehead.
"I know it's a lot to process, but there is something you can do to help us find your daughter," I keep my voice gentle and steady, even though my heart is breaking for these devastated parents.
"We'll do anything," Mrs. Jones says, sitting up straighter and focusing on me.
"I'm going to hold a press conference. Getting help from the public is the best thing we can do right now," I begin.
"Okay, and what do you need from us?" Mr. Jones has composed himself, but his voice is still a little bit shaky.
"I want you to speak and try to appeal to the unsub. Remind him that Marilyn is a little girl, not an object. Do everything you can to remind him of that. Say her name as often as you can, make him see her as a human being."
"Okay, I think we can do that," Mrs. Jones nods as her light green eyes meet mine.
"There's one more thing," I hesitate for a second, already knowing how this may sound to the couple in front of me. "I want you to mention the man you told Agent Hotchner about, but speak of him as an important witness. Don't make it sound like he made you uncomfortable or that he did anything wrong," I keep my voice as even as possible, even as I see anger flash in both parents' eyes.
"Are you kidding? This guy was a creep to my little girl, and you want me to make him sound like some hero or something?" Mr. Jones' face darkens with each word he speaks.
"No sir, you don't have to make him sound like a hero, exactly. You just can't make him sound like a suspect," I begin before I see Mrs. Jones lean forward.
"I trust you completely, and I know your team is the best chance we have at finding our daughter. But I still don't understand why this is necessary," her voice is starting to shake, but I admire her strength and logic during a time like this.
"If we make him feel like we're on to him, he may feel trapped. And if he feels trapped, Marilyn's chances are not very good," I reply. "Plus, we don't know for sure that this man has anything to do with the abduction. He could just be a kind of creepy guy that happened to be in the same place as your family." She nods, satisfied with my answer. I turn toward her husband, and he looks at his hands for a moment before meeting my gaze and nodding too. "Okay, let's talk about some specific phrases to use."
...
After the press conference, the team meets in a small conference room in the security office. We all sit down at the table, and I try my best not to look at Agent Prentiss. I feel her eyes on me a couple times, but I don't acknowledge her.
"Alright team, Marilyn has been missing for seven hours now. The chances of us finding her alive are getting more and more slim with every minute that passes. I know we have a lead, thinking about this guy with the scar, but we still need to build a profile since we don't know for sure that he was involved," Gideon speaks first, and we all nod in agreement when he finishes.
"Morgan, Prentiss, did you find anything at the abduction site?" Hotch asks.
"We ended up visiting each of the five sites, actually. Three were in Magic Kingdom, one was in Hollywood Studios, and one was in Animal Kingdom," Morgan begins. "Prentiss noticed some similarities in all five locations."
"The first and most obvious similarity is that all the abductions occurred at the exit of a ride. A number of people are usually all exiting the ride at the same time, so it could be easy for a parent to lose sight of their child for a moment. But what struck me was that each of the abduction locations had two common denominators as well: employee entrances/exits and a gift shop near the exit," Prentiss says, making eye contact with each of us as she speaks. Her eyes linger on mine for a second longer than everyone else's.
"Okay, but that's pretty much every ride here," I interject.
"Yes I know that, but the exits for each of these rides are also a little bit dark. The doors leading backstage are in shadow. I think it would be pretty easy to sneak in and out of one of those doors," Emily explains patiently.
"Yeah, that's actually a good point, Emily. It would allow easy access to and from each of the locations. But wouldn't someone notice a random kid backstage?" Reid asks, chewing his bottom lip.
"That's what I was wondering too,' Hotch says, sitting back in his seat.
"It's still a place to start. Let's get the tech girl to run background checks on the people working at all five of those attractions and their corresponding gift shops," Gideon chimes in.
"Wait I just remembered something," I say, looking up at my team.
"What is it?" Emily asks after a beat of silence. I swallow down my surprise at being addressed directly. It's been a while since we've talked at all.
"My sophomore year of college, I did an internship here at Disney World. I worked in merchandise," I pause as a confused look crosses Morgan's face. "I worked in a lot of gift shops all over property because you can pick up shifts in almost any store..."
"The unsub could be someone that worked in the gift shops, then. We need to check to see if anyone was working at all five gift shops on the days of the disappearances. I'll call Garcia, then we can deliver the profile," Hotch says, standing.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for your support so far. I love reading your comments, and I appreciate all your feedback. I hope you have a wonderful day, friends! :)